The Water Cooler

Author:  Jamie Watts In the summer of 2011, I was wrapping up a 20-year stint in the granite business, one that we would eventually sell in two yea...

By Jamie Watts.    I read a book recently by Ben Bergeron called Chasing Excellence.   It’s a phenomenal breakdown of athletic focus and grit.  A ...

I can feel the skeptical raised eyebrows already, maybe from men and women alike.  But hear me out.  It’s true....

With college football, you get both historic and modern rivalries amongst powerhouses, but also David vs Goliath. It’s hard to compete with the big dogs, but not impossible. UCF is a legit program competing with/beating the majors. Boise State climbed from obscurity before them. 

 Last month was the 45^th Anniversary of ‘Ten Cent Beer Night’ in Cleveland, Indians vs Rangers. 10 cents/beer and you could buy six at a time. 52 cents in 2019 money. Yes, it was ‘3.2’ beer, but that translates to 4% ABV, which is basically the same as a light domestic beer today. Asking for trouble. And trouble ensued.

Ali’s mission likely led to the most iconic protest moment in sport history: Tommie Smith and John Carlos raising their black gloved fists during the anthem while accepting their medals at the ’68 Olympics. Smith later said it was more a ‘human rights’ salute than a ‘black power’ one.

We often lose sight of all the athletes struggling to eke out a living. Those we see are of course the ones pulling in the dough. But they’re such a small percentage of the lot. If you make it to a developmental league, you’re in the upper echelon of talent in your sport, but not making bank

On a positive note, the Reds are playing decent after a dreadful start. The Bengals have a new coach and are coming off an admirable draft. UC basketball is likely looking at rebuild with Cronin’s departure, transfers, and graduations. But at least Jarron Cumberland is coming back. Xavier ended their season considerably better than it started.

Maybe participation trophies for the littlest of kids. As they grow older, I’m pretty confident in saying awards all around will be met with considerable suspicion. We need more appreciation for the process of competing

Sports were a big part of my childhood. I was awful at baseball, mediocre at basketball, and decent at soccer and tennis. I remember well watching both Bengals Super Bowls (sounds crazy saying those three words together) and the Reds winning the World Series in 1990.

“Those moments and those feelings and those emotions for me are light years better than winning the Olympic gold medal. I am extremely thankful that I didn’t take my own life.”

-Michael Phelps

There is something Zen in listening to the game and being able to see and smell the ballpark. The roasted peanuts, hotdogs, and beer. The occasional sound of bat hitting ball and roar of the crowd.